Click on the icon for Commentary from Ives Galarcep & Co, reporting live from the MLS Superdraft.
Posts Tagged ‘mls’
IVES GALARCEP ON THE SUPERDRAFT: REPORTING LIVE
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
MLS PLAYER COMBINE – GAME ONE GOALS
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Here are all the goals from today’s first game of the MLS Player Combine. Names on the scoresheet include Michael Thomas (Notre Dame), Andrew Hoxie (William & Mary), and Mike Seamon (Villanova).
MLS DRAFT WITH IVES GALARCEP
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Assuming MLS players can settle their labor dispute with league organizers in the near future, we turn our attention to the incoming freshman!
The MLS Superdraft is two days away and American soccer guru/blogger Ives Galarcep (soccerbyives.net) has finalized his list of top candidates.
Click HERE for the SBI list (aka THE BIG BOARD) and let us know your thoughts on the top prospects.
GENERATION ADIDAS SIGNS PLAYERS TO MLS AHEAD OF SUPERDRAFT
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
4 NCAA underclassment are going pro through the Generation Adidas program ahead of the 2010 Superdraft on January 14th.
Teal Bunbury: This 19-year old sophomore led the Akron Zips on an undefeated streak that ended with a loss to Virginia in the title game. Bunbury was the highest scoring player in D1 soccer with 17 goals this season. He was recently named Soccer America’s player of the year.
Dilly Duka: A goal-scoring standout at the 2009 U-20 World Cup, Duka joins Generation Adidas from Rutgers University.
Blair Gavin: A teammate of Bunbury’s at Akron, Gavin trained with the IMG Academy in Florida and has since proven to be one of the most competent midfielders on the U-20 national team.
Jack McInerney: The youngest player to join the Generation Adidas lineup, McInerney was plucked from the U-17 national squad after proving himself worthy in CONCACAF and World Cup competition. Despite being courted by European clubs earlier in 2009, Generation Adidas seems to have convinced him to give the MLS a chance.
Generation Adidas also signed college seniors Andre Akpan (Harvard’s all-time leading goal-scorer), Zach Lloyd from the Tarheels, and Toni Stall from UConn.
Generation Adidas is an elite youth-development program that began at Nike in 1997 (originally called Project-40) and was taken over by Adidas in 2005. It is intended to help young players make it to the MLS before graduating from college. Each player in the program is deemed professional upon induction and can no longer play at the college level. In turn, Adidas compensates the players and readies them for successful careers in the MLS. Adidas also pays for completion of college courses at the players’ convenience.
DONOVAN TO STAY WITH GALAXY THROUGH 2013
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
This is huge news for LA and the MLS. He can go out on loan each year in the off-season, get better, and return to LA to lead a team that is now (finally!) capable of winning championships. Everybody wins.
on his new seven-figure contract, Donovan had this to say:
“I have enjoyed my time with the Galaxy and am committed to helping bring the club another MLS Cup championship. I believe in this team and I want to be a part of its bright future. This is a great day for me both personally and professionally and I look forward to many successful years ahead.”
photo credit: Getty Images
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP – DEC 9th – 19th
Friday, December 11th, 2009
The competition is only 6 years old, but its roots go back for decades. The tournament is, in theory, a year-end celebration of the world’s best football clubs. Champions from each continent are competing in the United Arab Emirates from December 9th – 19th. Competitors include:
FC Barcelona: Champions League Winners
Club Estudiantes de la Plata: Libertadores Cup winners
Aukland City FC: OFC Club Championship winners
Pohang Steelers: Asian Champions League winners
TP Mazembe: CAF Champions League winners
Atlante Futbol Club: CONCACAF Champions Cup winners
And representing the host nation will be Al Ahli FC.
MLS teams need to figure out how to be more competitive in CONCACAF cup competition. If America’s best club can make it into a tournament with the UEFA Champions League winners, club soccer in this country will flourish. In order to make this happen, American clubs need to rally together and figure out how to play more games in multiple tournaments. While base salary for MLS players is staggeringly low, the organizations must understand that more games will lead to more competition, which will (we have to believe it) bring more money and fan support to clubs.
WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN GOALS
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Despite a Baggio moment at the MLS Cup, Landon Donovan is being courted by LA for a life-long commitment. The league MVP’s current $900,000 paycheck is expected to be doubled, making him the highest paid American ever to play professionally in the US.
Keeping American stars in the MLS is more sensible than prying older players from overseas. Donovan could be healthy for another 3 world cups (including SA) and will remain a major figure in US Soccer for decades to come. As a team leader, he may also attract more top tier Americans back to the US.
photo credit: Getty Images
L.A.’S GONZALES NAMED MLS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzales has decided to defer celebrating today’s honor until his work is done. The Galaxy face Houston tomorrow for the Western Conference final. Gonzales is the second consecutive Galaxy player to win the prize, owing a great deal of his success to solid leadership. Incidentally, Bruce Arena was yesterday named MLS Coach of the Year.
Tomorrow’s game airs live from the Home Depot Center at 8pm PST on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
photo credit: Getty Images
CHIVAS LOSE PREKI AT SEASON’S END
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Chivas USA coach Preki Radosavljevic has left the club after earning MLS Coach of the Year in ‘07 and earning an impressive record of 49-29-21 in three seasons. Preki lead Chivas USA to the playoffs all three years, but, to the disappointment of fans, never made it past the first round. After last week’s loss to the Galaxy, change was imminent. Without getting into specifics, Preki says that he will seek new coaching opportunities.
Assistant coach Martin Vasquez will be filling in for Preki until a replacement is found, though some speculate that Vasquez will take over the post full-time. A seasoned veteran on and off the field, Vasquez is the only player in history to make appearances for both the Mexican and the American national teams. He is respected by players and fans and should have a relatively easy time transitioning into a leadership role.
SUPERCLASSICO PLAYOFF IN LOS ANGELES
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
The Galaxy take homefield advantage over Chivas USA in what will be a heated contest. A confident Landon Donovan, who is being linked to Celtic and (less likely) Liverpool for possible transfers after this season, believes that Galaxy supporters will transform the atmosphere from last week at the Home Depot Center. The aggregate is tied, so a win is necessary for either side to advance. They kick off at 4:30 PST, live on Fox Soccer Channel.
photo credit: Getty Images
